Science Wrangler Number Two
by NOTagentsofnothing420
Summary: POST AVENGERS (SLIGHT AU- NO TDW, TWS, OR IM3) Darcy gets her roommate fired, and then gets her a new job... wrangling the scientists of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes at the new Avengers Tower. (my summaries suck! :D) CLINT/OC RATED M FOR A REASON!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: WARNING! this chapter contains TRIGGERS such as alcoholism, physical abuse and murder. I usually don't write dark chapters like this. Sorry in advance.

THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR A REASON!

there will be excessive cursing and #futuresmut :D (yay!)

reviews and stuff are appreciated :D

disclaimer: i own nothing but my OC :D

Thanks!

* J *

_**October 14th, 2010**_

_**Rural Virginia**_

"_Kathryn! Dinner!" I heard my mom shout from the bottom on the staircase, her kind and tired voice echoing through our small two story house, with only my room and bathroom upstairs, as she called, "Your father will be home any minute!"_

_I was sitting on my bed, and at the mention of __**him**__, my blood ran cold._

_I fought back the shiver of fear I'd get when anyone in this godforsaken town, smack dab in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, referred to __**him**__ as anything but 'that drunk asshole' or, my personal favorite from the kid with the curly orange afro in the house closest to ours about a mile south down the only paved road, 'drunk hillbilly fucktard', which I went back and high fived him for later, after bringing __**him**__ back to the house for my mom that night. _

_I hurried to put on my favorite big black hoodie, shouting back, "Coming!", stifled by my jacket as I pulled it over my head. I didnt plan on finding out what __**he **__would do to me, or my mom, if we weren't waiting at the table like some sick version of a Hallmark Card family, for __**him**__ with __**his **__dinner set on the table by the time he stumbled through the door, either too tired from work or too drunk to walk straight. _

_I rushed out of my room and tried not to bust my ass on the carpeted staircase in my worn black converse, one hand hovering above the railing as I went just in case, and with the other, I fixed my long black hair in my reflection on the mirror on the wall in front of me, running my nails through it to brush it out of my face. _

_I smiled as I rounded the corner just off the stairs and walked into the living room, where my mom already sat in her place at the dinner table on the far side, in her seat with the dinner set like __**he**__ demanded of her. My mother, Rosalie Eliza Hendrickson, was the only reason I was still here, in this poor fucking excuse for a family, for a home. She'd always been the complete opposite of my drunken, abusive, emotionless shell of a father. I never could understand how someone so loving and kindhearted like her could fall in love with someone like __**him.**_

_I tried to get her to leave when I graduated high school. No, I begged her to leave him, tried to reason with her that we could finally be free of him, but she wouldn't. I didn't push it, knowing how fragile she really was. I just sucked it up, got a steady job waitressing in the next town over, and for two years, I've stayed to protect her. _

_I smiled to her as I joined her at the table, sitting across from her in my usual seat on __**his **__left. My twentieth birthday was a few months ago, and already, I was starting to notice how much I look like her, with the same thick shiny black curls and the same blue-green eyes. Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm taller than her, at only 5'5 with my shoes on. She smiled as she reached across the table and set her hand on top of mine, and as I opened my mouth to say something, the front door flew open with a loud bang. _

_We both jumped, her hand leaving mine in an instant, and as __**he**__ stumbled into the house drunk off his ass, slamming the door behind him, our shared smiles hardened as they faded in seconds. By the way he smelled as he sauntered over to the table, looking down at the both of us with his usual disgust, I could tell he'd been at the bar longer than usual. Something must've happened at the construction site again. _

_Typical._

_Without taking his seat at the head of the table, he slurred heavily as he growled in my mother's direction, "The fuck is this shit, Ro'?"_

"_Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, dear." My mother mused from where she cowered in her seat, and i didnt dare look up from my empty plate, feeling the rage radiating off of him next to me. I had to act fast, to distract him enough to draw his attention off of her. I knew what was coming. My voice, small and shaky though it was, broke the deafening silence._

"_Just like you like it, Dad." _

_I didn't look up. I didn't need to see his reaction to what __**he**__ deemed 'talkin' back like a smartass'. I knew it was coming, but I didn't brace myself. If I did that, the next one would only be harder._

_**His **__fist collided with my temple, and through the pain and my fading vision as I fell out of my chair onto the carpet, I could hear my mother scream over __**his**__ drunk shouting. It was blurry as I recovered from the blow to the head, but I could see his dirty tan work boots on the other side of the table from underneath, along with my mother's as she scrambled to get out of her chair. I was barely able to decipher her muffled voice over his excessive indecent yelling and the pounding in my ears, but my vision was clear enough for me to watch in horror as my mother's feet lift off the ground in front of __**him.**_

_**He **__was strangling her, her feet kicking as she tried to fight __**him,**__ but she wasn't strong enough._

"_Kathryn," she managed to choke out, and I could picture his huge hands around her throat as I willed myself to get up, "Run...I...Love..Y-" _

_With everything I had, I pushed myself off the ground, stumbling a little as I got to my feet before I took off for the door. I threw it open, running as fast as I could to get away from him. I charged down the gravel driveway, past our mailbox, across the paved road, and into the woods, never looking back as I heard __**his**__ thick southern drawl booming after me, "Get back 'ere! I'll fuckin' kill you!" _

_I didn't stop, too busy trying not to trip over a branch or something as I weaved through the trees, the only sound in the woods the fading sound of __**him**__ shouting ,"KATHRYN!" as I got further away. _

_I don't know how long I ran for, hours maybe, but I finally stopped as rain started to fall and my legs began to give out. I kept going until I couldn't anymore, finding a place to hide this deep in the woods and I curled up in a ditch, covered by some fallen brush, as the anguish caught up with me. _

_Grief hit me like a Mac truck would a Prius, sobs coming in quiet tidal waves as my mother's voice echoed in my head, making me cry harder._

_My mother was dead. I couldn't go back._

_I was alone...completely alone._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Present Day**_

_**October 1st, 2014**_

_**New York, New York**_

_**10:15AM**_

I pulled my coat tighter around me, the fall air rustling the trees lining the sidewalk as the wind picked up a little. My long curly hair, the natural jet black now white on the underneath, was pulled into a tight high ponytail for work as I walked through Central Park, taking the shortcut to the coffee shop I worked at from my apartment.

I was getting close to the day my mother died, in two weeks it would be four years.

Four years since I left my mediocre life in the woods of Virginia, since that asshole that murdered her was killed in a car accident the same night.

Four years since that man in the suit found me on the side of the road in the rain.

I could remember how amazing I felt when I googled _**his**_ name last year, when I finally got to the big apple, determined to find out if they ever caught him, or if he'd even been arrested for what he did. Imagine my surprise when I read that he'd driven into a tree and died upon impact, killing himself in his drunken rage after killing his wife.

But now, living in Manhattan with my awesome roommate Darcy and working excessive hours to pay my share of the apartment we share, life really couldn't get any better.

I couldn't let my memories, spotted though they may be, bring me down, not after coming this far.

I smiled to myself, I knew Mom would be proud, despite what put me in this position in the first place, without her by my side like we'd always talk about when I was little, the both of us in the big city.

When I reached the curb of the sidewalk at the park's edge, directly in front of my job, I stopped to answer my phone, blaring Darcy's ringtone _The Unknown _by Foxes, in the back pocket of my black jeans. I smiled as I pulled it out and answered it.

"Hey girl, what's up?"

"Kat, I need a _HUUUGGEE _favor. Like ginormous."

Darcy was frantic, or super busy at work or something, so I tried to calm her down when I replied.

"Okay, chill out. Just tell me what it is so I can call into work. Should I ask for the whole day off?"

There was a pause as she thought about it. "Might as well, I guess. Jane's super into her science right now and I need backup."

I laughed as I turned around, walking away from my job I was already late for and back to the apartment to change my shirt, and said, "Well, sign me up because my manager is probably going to fire me. I've been on 'probation' since I threw a latte at that guy a month ago."

Darcy laughed and I smiled as she said, "You know what? Call the bitch, and if she does, I'll talk my boss into hiring you as another scientist wrangler."

"Deal! I'd kill for a fraction of your paycheck."

"I'll send you a list of what I need. I cant believe I forgot poptarts! I swear, science people don't eat anything but pop tarts. Remember that!"

"Poptarts. Got it." I laughed.

"I'll have them send a car for you. I can do that. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Damn cool, girl! Now let me go get fired already."

"Thanks Kat, you're a life saver."

I chuckled, "Bye, Darcy." before I hung up, keeping my phone out to call my stupid manager, Melissa, to explain why I need the entire day off again as I walked back through the park.

* * *

_**10:44AM**_

So, like I predicted, Melissa fired me. I only laughed and hung up on her when she started to yell.

When I finally got back to the apartment, I quickly changed out of my stupid uniform, making a note to burn it later, and into my favorite black leggings, that had a lace pattern laser cut in a stripe around my thighs, almost like a garter, and a random long sleeve shirt, which happened to be striped in purple and black, and super fuzzy. After putting my sneakers back on, I texted Darcy from my seat on the windowsill, where I could wait and watch for the car she was sending for me.

**You better start sweet talking that boss of yours.**

**Officially unemployed as of ten minutes ago! :)**

**So send me that list of stuff I need to pick up.**

**- **_**K**_

I tossed my phone on my bed a few feet away as I got up, keeping that car in mind as I went into my bathroom, to check if I'd smudged my eyeliner, drawn in a sharp point at the corners of my teal colored eyes. After giving myself a thumbs up in the mirror, I heard my phone beep with a new text message from my bedroom behind me, and I smiled as I crossed the room to pick it up and read it.

**Awesome sauce! **

**I just need you to pick up A TON of poptarts on your way.**

**Seriously, I cant thank you enough Kat! **

**The science trio had me come in too early and Jane totally forgot to mention her mancandy is coming tonight.**

**- DL**

I laughed at the word 'mancandy' for like five minutes, and when I went back to the window, I could see the car, complete with it's driver waiting outside on the curb, dressed in the whole chauffer ensemble, hat and everything.

Damn, Darcy really did have an awesome job. I kept my fingers crossed as I grabbed my purse from my nightstand, and after locking up the apartment, I hurried down the four flights of stairs to the curb, with a smile for Jeeves as he opened the back door of the black town car for me.

* * *

_**11:35AM**_

Arms laden with grocery bags, I walked across the underground parking garage of whatever building this was (I was too busy talking with my new friend Jeeves to notice when we pulled in) to the elevator. I jumped as I stepped inside, caught off guard by the voice coming from nowhere as it said very politely, "Welcome, Ms. Gardener. Ms. Lewis informed me of your arrival."

"WOAH WHO SAID THAT!?" I called as I eyed the ceiling, feeling the elevator rise as the shiny steel doors closed.

"My name is JARVIS, Ms. Gardener. I am-"

_Walking with the humans, but I know I'm not like them at all…_

_We're all wearin' the same suits, but it doesn't seem right anymore…_

_Dreamin' in the daylight…_

My phone cut him off, blaring my default ringtone as I fished it out of my purse.

"Sorry, hold on, lemme take this," I mumbled to JARVIS, where ever he was, and finally found my phone, holding it to my ear with my shoulder as I answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Kat! My phone died, so I'm using the one in the lab. Where are you?" Darcy asked in a hurry.

I laughed as I replied, "In the elevator with my new buddy Jarvis. Where should I drop all these frickin' poptarts?"

"OH! You're here?! YAY! Put them in the kitchen and Jarv can point you to the lab when you're done."

"Okay," I said with another laugh, "See ya in a minute."

"Hey Jarvis?" I asked the ceiling as the doors opened, revealing an extravagant penthouse living room with a breathtaking view of the city, and trying to hold in my gasp, "Um...Where's the kitchen?"

* * *

_**11:53AM**_

Following the directions from my favorite robot, I finally found Darcy, and I stopped outside the automatic glass doors of the lab, where she and three other people were working. I only recognized one, from TV of all things, in the lab, and it was _Tony Fucking Stark. _

I tapped on the glass with my nails, getting not only my friend's attention as I did so, and I waved a little as she scurried over to open the door for me. She punched in the code and when the doors slid open, she was quick to pull me inside with a hug as she repeated, "Thank you!" a zillion times. I laughed as I made her let go, and as she went right back to (who I guessed was) Jane at her workplace, Tony Stark called over, "Um...Darcy? Who is this and why is she in my tower?"

_HOLY SHIT IM IN THE AVENGERS TOWER!? _

Without looking up from her notes, she anwsered, "She's Kat, my awesome roommate, and she's your newest scientist wrangler because I got her fired today."


End file.
